Twice as nice
In their search to find a site for Sydney’s first city farm, City of Sydney councillors say they may go one better and build two farms – one at Harold Park, and the other in Sydney Park.
Labor Councillor Meredith Burgmann said she agreed with City of Sydney CEO Monica Barone’s suggestion that both sites could be used for city farms. “I agree it doesn’t have to be an either/or scenario. You could start a city farm at the Sydney Park site, and then have parts of it there and parts of it at Harold Park later,” she said.
But Sydney Park holds one crucial advantage over its opposing number, one which may prove crucial. “The advantage of Sydney Park is that there is a lot of space there and that it would be able to start more or less straight away,” Cr Burgmann said. “The disadvantage of the Harold Park site is that it really would be at least five years before anything got off the ground because we don’t own the site.”
Greens Councillor Irene Doutney agreed Sydney Park would be ideal. “It’s a perfect site. It was mentioned by residents [in community meetings] that they would like something like that there, so I think that’s definitely a scheme for the future,” she said. “But I think in the immediate, Sydney Park will probably be the way to go, because it’s what land we own and we can actually do something about it now,” she said.
Cr Burgmann has been one of the most vocal supporters of establishing Sydney’s first city farm. “I’m very keen to have the small animal part of the farm happening, like the pigs, goats, sheep and little chickens,” she said. “And although some people say that that’s just a petting zoo set-up, it’s very important for children to see and maybe even be able to pat them,” she said.
Cr Doutney said a city farm was crucial for Sydney to become fully self-sufficient and sustainable. “To have a community farm where we can sell organic produce will be really important. I think at the moment, in terms of the city farm, we are lagging behind other leading cities in the world, so I think this is a really good initiative.”
According to Council, the proposed City Farm could include demonstration gardens and orchards, space for community arts and events, educational facilities and displays about sustainable living, communal composting facilities, and food outlets – such as farmers’ markets – selling organic produce.
“City Farms provide real, hands-on experiences to teach residents, businesses and schools about sustainable living,” Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore said in a statement. [They] demonstrate the simple ways that everyone can Live Green and give the community access to local organic produce.”
by Ehssan Veiszadeh
